Just Right
by TessaStarDean
Summary: Post Day 5. Michelle is dead, but Tony survived. Jack is in China. Tony and Kim have become good friends, and he's there when she needs him the most. Kony.


It was almost midnight when he got the call. Cursing, he rolled over and picked up the phone.

"Almeida." He vaguely wondered if he would ever answer the phone like a normal human being.

"Tony Almeida?" the woman asked.

"Yeah. Who's this?"

"We have a Kim Bauer here in the emergency room at St. Luke's. She gave us your number."

Tony sat up quickly, all traces of sleep gone. "What? Is she okay?"

"All I can tell you is that she's here and she's asking for you."

He was already out of bed and getting dressed.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

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He found her on the hospital bed, curled into a little ball. Her eyes were red from crying, and he saw cuts and bruises on her knuckles that told him what had probably happened. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to her, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Kim?"

She jumped at his touch, but the fear went out of her eyes when she saw that it was him standing over her.

"Tony," she sobbed.

Leaning against him, she collapsed into his arms, her shoulders shaking with the force of her cries. Not knowing what else to do, Tony took a seat on the bed, holding her tightly and running his fingers through her hair. He wasn't sure how long they sat there, but eventually her tears subsided.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly.

"I…I was a party, over at Deanna's…I thought I'd take a short cut through the park…" Her voice began to break again, and Tony held her closer.

"It's okay, Kim," he murmured. "If you aren't ready…"

"He came from behind," she continued in a rush, her voice thick. "I never saw him coming. He had me on the ground and then…he…he…"

She broke down in tears again, and the only thing Tony could do was hold her tighter, placing a gentle kiss in her hair.

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"You need to eat," he murmured, sitting on the bed next to her.

"I'm not hungry."

"Kim…"

She sat up suddenly, trying to scoot off the bed. "No, I need to go home. I've stayed here too long."

Resting his hands gently on her sides, he stopped her from going any further. "Kim, you don't need to go anywhere."

"Tony, I've been here for four days. I need to let you get back to your life."

"In case you haven't noticed, you pretty much are my life."

"That's a lie."

"Is it?" he asked. "Come on, Kim. Where are you going to go?"

She shrugged. "Home, I guess."

"And do what?"

Kim looked down, picking at the bed sheets. Seeing the tears building in her eyes, Tony sighed and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry, Kim. I didn't mean to upset you. I just…I don't want you to go."

Looking up at him, she sniffed. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, Kim. Stay. Let me help you."

"How?"

"What?"

She pulled back slightly so that she could see him better. "How are you going to help me?"

He shrugged. "I don't know…I just…I don't want you to be alone, Kim. I want…I want to take care of you."

Looking at him for a long minute, Kim finally nodded and leaned her head against his chest again.

"Okay, Tony," she whispered. "Okay."

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She felt hands everywhere – on her skin, pulling at her clothes, tugging on her hair. She fought back as hard as she could, but the person was too strong. They pulled her down to the ground, smothering her, covering her mouth so that she couldn't scream. She thrashed from side to side, trying to throw them off of her, but their strength overpowered her, pushing her further into the grass and dirt.

"Kim? Kim!"

She sat up with a start, still fighting. Her fist came in contact with something solid, and she heard something fall to the floor. Opening her eyes, Kim realized that she was in Tony's guest bedroom, tangled in the sheets.

"Tony?"

"Down here."

She looked over the edge of the bed, her eyes widening when she saw Tony sitting on the floor, holding his jaw in his hand.

"Oh my God," she moaned. "I'm so sorry."

He shook his head, pushing himself to his feet and then sitting next to her on the bed. "Don't worry about it. You got a mean right hook, though."

"I…I was dreaming."

"I know," he said quietly, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "I heard you yelling, so I came in. You were thrashing and screaming…I was trying to wake you up when you decked me."

"Sorry," she said again.

"You've been having trouble sleeping." It wasn't a question and Kim just nodded. "You know, you don't have to go through this alone."

"What do you mean?"

Tony sighed. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Kim, but…you could share my bed. That way I'd be there to wake you up when you have nightmares."

"You've already done so much, though."

"Would it make you feel better?" She nodded, unable to meet his eyes. "Then come on."

Standing up, he took her hand and helped her to her feet. Then he led her down the hall and into his room, shutting the door firmly behind them. For a minute, they stood there awkwardly before Tony crawled into bed, pulling the covers back and looking at her expectantly. Giving him a nervous smile, Kim walked over to the other side and climbed into bed next to him.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, laying down. Tony pulled the covers up to her shoulders and laid down next to her, his gaze locking with hers.

"If you feel uncomfortable, Kim…"

Shaking her head, Kim moved closer, laying her head on his chest. "This is the first time I've felt safe, Tony."

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The house was dark when he came home. Moving slowly through the house, he turned on some lights, looking for his friend.

"Kim?"

When there was no answer, he started up the stairs, worry starting to eat away at him. Swallowing hard, he tried to calm his nerves.

"Kim?"

He found her in his bedroom, curled up on his bed. She was shaking and crying, worse than he had seen her in weeks. Moving across the room quickly, he sat down beside her, his fingers automatically combing through her hair.

"Kim?"

She shook her head, her tears still falling. Tony just continued running his fingers through his hair, wondering what he could say to make her feel better. It was then that his eyes fell on her hands, and the object she was clutching so desperately.

"A pregnancy test?" he whispered.

She nodded. "I'm late."

"Did you take it yet?"

She shook her head violently. "I…I couldn't. I'm scared, Tony."

"Okay," he whispered. "Okay. So what do you want to do?"

"I need to know."

"Okay."

"Will you stay? While I take it, I mean."

"Of course."

Kim nodded, pushing herself up from the bed and moving toward the bathroom. Tony stretched out on the bed, waiting for her to come back. It had never crossed his mind that she might be pregnant, and now that it was a real possibility, he didn't know what to think. Whatever happened though, he promised himself that he would take care of her.

She walked back out of the bathroom a minute later, the stick clutched in her hand. Her hands shaking, she set it down on the nightstand and then crawled into bed, burying her face in Tony's chest. He held her tightly, watching the clock as the seconds and minutes ticked by with a painful slowness. When enough time had elapsed, he reached over and looked at the test.

"What does it say?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.

Moving his mouth to her ear, Tony held her tighter. "You're pregnant, Kim."

She broke down and wept.

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"I've made my decision."

Tony looked up from the dishes he was washing to see Kim leaning against the doorframe.

"Okay…"

"I'm keeping the baby."

He couldn't help the small smile that came over him. "You're sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah." Tucking her hair behind her ears, she looked down at the ground. "I uh…I'll get my stuff together and get out of here as soon as I can…"

Tony's smile faded as he shut off the water and walked over to her. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm having a baby, Tony. I can't expect you to take care of both of us."

He took her face in his hands, forcing her too look at him. "Yes, Kim. You can. I'm not going anywhere. And I don't want you to leave."

"But…"

"But nothing, Kim. After…after Michelle, you were there for me. You kept me from drinking myself to death. And now you need me, and I'm going to do everything I can to help."

"This is big, Tony. I'm having a baby."

"And I'm going to be there for as long as you let me."

She gave him a watery smile. "It's funny."

"What is?"

"You and me. I never thought you'd be my best friend."

Tony pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. "You're mine too, Kim. You're mine too."

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"Pizza's here!" Tony called as he walked into the house.

He stopped short when he saw Kim sitting on the couch, holding a picture and tracing the image with her finger. Setting the pizza down, he sat next to her and saw that the picture was of Jack.

"I miss him," she said quietly.

"I know," he murmured, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I miss him too."

"He's going to be a grandfather and he doesn't even know it."

"We'll find him, Kim."

"When? How?"

"Chloe is doing everything she can. You know her – she'll never give up on Jack. Never."

"And we'll tell the baby about him, right?"

He closed his eyes at the desperation in her voice. Leaning in, he kissed her hair. "Of course we will."

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Tony glanced over at her as he drove, the worry on her face evident. Reaching over, he took her hand in his and squeezed gently. At his touch, she turned to look at him, a grateful smile on her face.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Thank you for coming with me."

"I can do whatever you need me to, Kim. You just have to ask." He paused, looking toward the road again. "Are you nervous?"

She nodded. "It's kinda big, you know?" She watched him for a minute before dropping her gaze to her swollen stomach. "Did you ever want kids? With Michelle, I mean."

She saw the clenching of his jaw, the tensing of every muscle in his body. But he took a few steadying breaths before nodding.

"Yeah," he whispered.

Kim squeezed his hand again. "I…I know this isn't how you imagined it, or even what you really wanted but…so far you're the only father this baby has ever known. And…and I'd be okay with it staying that way."

Tony was glad that they had reached the doctor's office, because he was able to put the car in park and turn to look at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly, his eyes searching hers. "Because you have to be sure, Kim."

She reached over and cupped his face with her hand. "I'm sure, Tony. You're my best friend…there's no one else I'd want taking care of my baby."

He smiled at her, covering her hand with his. "I'd be honored." Sniffing, he glanced at his watch. "How about we go in and find out if it's a boy or a girl?" he asked.

Her smile was blinding as she nodded.

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He watched her as she slept, a contented smile on her face. Even in sleep, she rested a protective hand on her stomach, and Tony knew instinctively that she was going to be a great mother. Slowly, he reached out to place his hand over hers; her little girl was growing in there. She had been kicking and driving Kim crazy all day, but he knew that she loved it. Every time that Theresa made the smallest move, her eyes would light up and her hand would fly to her belly. He couldn't help but smile with her.

He still couldn't believe everything that had happened to them in the past five months. Since asking him to be the father of her baby, she had included him in everything – choosing the name, setting up the nursery, going to the doctor appointments. Tony would have been happy to do all of that with her anyway, but knowing that he was going to be an important part of the baby's life made everything that much more special. Suddenly, he realized that he had a family of his own, something that he had wanted his entire life. And just as suddenly, he realized that he would do anything to protect it.

Feeling his eyes on her, Kim slowly came awake, frowning in confusion.

"Tony?"

"I…"

Sitting up a little, she reached out and touched his face. "What's wrong?"

"I just had a crazy idea."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure you'll like it."

She sighed. "Tony, just spit it out."

He took a deep breath. "Let's get married."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"If…if you're serious, about me being Theresa's dad…marry me. I'll be the father on record. No one will ever know that she…about what happened to you. Chloe and I are the only ones who know."

Kim settled back down, still staring at him in shock. "You're serious."

Taking her face in his hands, he looked at her intensely. "I don't ever want this baby thinking that she wasn't loved. This way…she'll have two parents, Kim, no matter what. She'll have a family."

The emotion in his voice and the fire in his eyes won her over. Smiling nervously at him, she nodded.

"Okay."

"Okay? Really?"

Her smile broadened. "Really."

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The ceremony was short and simple. Chloe was the only witness, and when the Justice of the Peace pronounced them man and wife, Tony rested a hand on Kim's stomach and gave her the softest of kisses. It might not have been what any of them had been expecting, but somehow, it felt right.

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As they lay in bed one night in Kim's seventh month, Tony rolled over to look at her.

"I have something to tell you."

"Okay."

"You might not like it."

He wasn't expecting the fear in her eyes, or the tremor in her voice.

"Are you leaving me?"

Taking her face in his hands, he made sure that she was looking at him. "No. Of course not."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good."

"I'm not going to walk away from you, Kim. Not ever."

She smiled at him. "I'm sorry. I just…I guess that's the thing I fear most, you meeting someone and wanting to go have a real family with them."

"I have a real family," he said firmly. "Right here with you and Theresa."

"Alright," she whispered, breathing easily again. "So what did you need to tell me then?"

This time the fear was in his eyes. "Chloe found your dad."

She sat up immediately, at least as much as her swollen stomach would allow. "What?"

"She found him. In a Chinese prison."

"Oh my God."

Tony took a deep breath. "We're going to go get him and bring him home."

Tears filled Kim's eyes and she shook her head. "No. No. Not you. You can't go."

"Kim, I have to. He's my best friend."

"No. Send someone else."

"I can't," he said gently.

The tears were streaming down her face and her breath came in gasps. "No," she whispered again. "I can't lose you, Tony. Please, I can't lose you."

His heart breaking at the pain and desperation in her voice, Tony pulled her close, rocking her back and forth.

"I'm coming back, Kim. I promise you, I'm coming back."

"You can't promise that," she argued.

Tony pulled back, locking his gaze with hers. "Nothing will keep me from coming back to you, Kim. Nothing. We're a family."

She nodded, knowing that she couldn't argue with him. Still crying, she laid her head back on his chest. "And you'll bring him home? So that we can all be a family?"

He held her tighter. "I promise, Kim. I'll bring him home."

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She paced back and forth across the kitchen, trying not to worry. She knew that anxiety was bad for the baby, but every time she turned she imagined that they weren't coming home, or that the next knock on her door would be Bill Buchanan telling her that they hadn't survived the mission.

But there was no knock on her door. Instead, she heard the jingle of a key in the lock and the door slowly being opened. She held her breath, afraid that she was hearing things in her head, that she would walk out there and the room would be empty. Steeling herself, she forced her feet to move her into the living room.

Their eyes locked as soon as she saw him. Tears started falling from her eyes and she silently cursed her hormones, but at the same time, she didn't really care. He was standing in front of her, bruises and cuts on his face, but otherwise uninjured.

"Kim," he breathed.

She moved as fast as her body would allow, and he met her halfway. They held each other tightly, Tony running his fingers through her hair, whispering over and over that everything was okay. Finally, they pulled back enough to look at each other.

"My dad?"

He smiled at her. "He's at CTU with Chloe, getting cleaned up. He's not in the best shape, Kim, but he's alive, and he's home."

She nodded. "And you? You're okay?"

"I'm fine," he whispered.

Nodding again, Kim punched him in the arm. "You scared the crap out of me."

"I'm sorry –"

Not letting him finish, she pulled his mouth down to hers, kissing him hungrily. Tony responded without hesitation, pulling her closer and tangling his fingers in her hair as he drank her in. He wasn't sure how long they stood their like that, but he was dizzy when they finally came up for air.

"Wow," he chuckled.

"What?"

"It's just…you've been my wife for two months now, and that's the first time we've really kissed."

She smirked up at him. "There are plenty of other husband and wife things we haven't done yet too, you know."

Smiling, he tucked her hair behind her ears. "I wasn't sure how you felt."

"I married you, Tony."

"I know, but…I thought that was just for Theresa."

"Is that the only reason you asked me?"

"No."

She smiled. "Good," she murmured, reaching up to kiss him again.

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"Breathe," Kim reminded him as they set the table for lunch.

"You first."

Chuckling at his comeback, she leaned her head on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Tony."

"Are you sure about that? Because I'm pretty sure that Jack is going to kill me."

"He won't. I'm telling him because he won't kill me, remember?"

Tony smiled, looking down at her. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

She nodded. "He has every reason to hate me, Tony."

He turned, kissing her forehead. "He doesn't, Kim. He loves you more than anything else in this world."

"How's he been doing?"

"Good. Chloe has been taking care of him."

Kim smiled. "She always was the best one for that job." She suddenly looked nervous again. "You're sure he's ready to see me?"

"Yes. He just needed a couple weeks, Kim, to get used to being free. He didn't want you to see him like he was when we got him out."

She took a deep breath. "Okay."

A knock on the door told them that it was finally time. Taking another deep breath, Kim moved through the living room and opened the front door. She almost wept at the sight of her father.

"Daddy?" she asked, her voice small.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, immediately taking her in his arms.

They stood like that for a long time, neither noticing the tears that streamed down their faces. Eventually, they pulled apart, and Kim stood aside so that he and Chloe could come in.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. "Both of you."

"Me too," Jack said honestly.

Chloe looked around nervously. "I'll umm…go help Tony in the kitchen."

Kim nodded and waited for the older woman to leave the room. Then she reached out for Jack's hand and led him over to the couch, where they both sat.

"Chloe told me you were eight months along, but still…" He reached out slowly, and then stopped, looking up at her. "May I?"

"Of course," she smiled.

He rested his hand on her stomach, gasping in surprise when the baby kicked and moved. His eyes wet all over again, he smiled at his daughter.

"You're having a baby."

"A girl. Theresa Michelle."

He closed his eyes at the name, his bottom lip quivering with emotion. "I think that's a beautiful name, sweetheart." Opening his eyes, he looked down and frowned at the ring on her finger. "You're married?"

"Yeah," she said nervously. "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Who is he?"

Kim took a deep breath. "Tony."

Jack's face quickly went from curiosity, to confusion, to anger. With a growl, he got up from the couch and stormed into the kitchen. Pulling Tony away from the stove, he slammed his fist into his face, sending his friend sprawling across the floor.

"You bastard!" he roared. "What, you were grieving so much over your wife that you took advantage of my daughter!?"

"Jack –"

"Shut up!"

"Daddy, please!"

"No, Kim. He had no right to do this to you." Turning back to Tony, he pointed a finger at him. "I don't want you anywhere near my daughter, or my granddaughter. You were supposed to be taking care of her, not screwing her!"

"Dad –"

"Let me handle this, Kim!"

"Daddy, I was raped!!!"

The whole room stopped, everyone turning to stare at Kim in shock. Tony pushed himself up from the floor, making sure to keep a safe distance from Jack. For his part, Jack just stared at his daughter, not fully understanding what she had said.

Wiping the tears from her face, Kim stood up straighter. "I was raped," she repeated.

"Oh sweetheart," he said, moving to hug her.

Kim held up her hand, stopping him. "Wait. You need to hear the rest. After that day, when you were taken and Michelle was killed, Tony and I…we were all we had left. We became friends. And when I…when I was attacked, he was there for me. He was there through the nightmares and the crying. He held me while I waited for the results of the pregnancy test. And when I decided to keep the baby, he offered to be her father. We got married so that Theresa would have a family, two parents who loved her, so that she would never have to know about what happened to me." She paused, taking a deep breath. "And now…now there _is_ something between us. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but it's the truth. I…I love him." Looking up, her eyes found Tony's. "I love you," she whispered.

Ignoring Jack and what he might do to him, Tony smiled. "I love you, too," he said.

Looking from his daughter to his best friend, Jack tried to deal with everything that had just happened. He took a few deep breaths, myriad responses running through his mind. But when he saw the love in their eyes, he knew what he had to do. Turning to Tony, he stretched out his hand.

"I owe you an apology," he murmured.

"Forget about it, Jack," Tony replied. "I would have done the same thing."

He nodded and then stepped toward Kim, pulling his daughter into his arms. "I wish I had been here, sweetheart, to help you through all this. But there's no one else I'd trust more than Tony in my absence."

Kim smirked up at him, wiping away her tears. "That's funny since you just punched him."

Jack shrugged. "I should have known he would never betray me or take advantage of you."

"Yes, you should have." Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly, interrupting the moment. Kim grinned. "Alright, the pregnant lady needs to eat."

Everyone laughed, the tension in the room easing as they sat down to have lunch together.

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"If you break my hand, I won't be able to take care of you when you and Theresa come home," Tony reminded her as she pushed.

She loosened her grip a little bit. "That's a very good point." Looking up at him, he could see the fear in her eyes. "Tony, it hurts."

"I know, baby," he murmured, kissing her temple. "But you have been through so much worse. And just think, as soon as you're done, our baby girl is going to be here. And we'll be a family."

Kim nodded. "A family. I've wanted one of those for a really long time."

"And now we've got it, Kim. Okay? We've got it. Just push."

Squeezing his hand again, she did just that.

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Jack walked in quietly, knowing that Kim was probably asleep. He smiled when he saw Tony sprawled out in the chair next to the bed, his eyes fluttering shut from exhaustion.

"I think your daddy's tired," he murmured to Theresa.

At the sound of his voice, Tony's head jerked up. When he saw who it was, he smiled, sitting up straighter.

"Hey you two."

"Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," Tony replied, pulling up a chair for them.

The two men sat there for a long time, just staring at Kim and Theresa. It had been so long since either of them had been so content, that both were afraid that if they broke the silence, it would all turn out to be a dream.

"Where's Chloe?" Tony finally asked.

"In the cafeteria. I told her she had to eat something." Pausing, he looked down at the baby. "I told her. How I feel."

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Jack nodded. "While Kim was in here pushing. It just slipped out."

"How did she react?"

A foolish grin came over his face. "She kissed me."

"About damn time."

"Hey, no swearing in front of my granddaughter."

Tony chuckled. "Yes, sir."

They sat in silence for another few minutes.

"Thank you," Jack said quietly.

"For what?"

"For making her happy. For being Theresa's father."  
"I love her Jack. Both of them."

"I know."

"You two talking about me?"

Both of them looked up to find Kim smiling at them sleepily.

"Only a little," Tony confessed. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Good tired, though."

"You did amazing," Jack told her.

"Thanks. Did I hear you say something about kissing Chloe?"

Jack blushed, causing Tony to laugh.

"Yeah," he answered for the older man. "You heard that."

"About damn time," she murmured.

"You're both impossible," Jack grumbled.

Kim shrugged. "You know you love us." She looked down at Theresa. "Can I hold her?"

"Of course."

Jack stood and walked to the bed, laying the baby in her mother's arms. Kim smiled down at her daughter, waves of awe and love overwhelming her.

"Hi baby," she whispered. "I'm your mom. You already met your dad and your Grampa. And I bet you bet Grandma Chloe too. I just want you to know that we all love you. We're your family, and nothing's ever going to change that."

Leaning down, Tony kissed Theresa's forehead. "Even though you might want it to at some point," he smiled. Looking at Kim, he kissed her gently on the mouth. "I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too," she smiled.

Snuggling back against the pillows, she looked around the room and smiled. For once, everything had turned out just right.


End file.
